| Main Entry: | defect |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | break from belief, faith |
Synonyms: |
abandon, abscond, apostatize, back out, break faith, change sides, depart, desert, fall away from, forsake, go, go back on, go over, go over the fence, lapse, leave, pull out, quit, rat, rebel, reject, renege, renounce, revolt, run out, schism, sell out, spurn, take a walk, tergiversate, tergiverse, turn, turn coat, walk out on, withdraw |
Antonyms: |
come in, join |
| Main Entry: | dodge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | avoid |
Synonyms: |
circumlocute, dark, deceive, ditch, duck, elude, equivocate, escape, evade, fence, fend off, fudge, get around, get out of, give the slip, hedge, juke, lurch, malinger, move to the side, parry, pussyfoot, put the move on, shake, shake off, shift, shirk, short-circuit, shuffle, sidestep, skip out on, skirt, slide, slip, swerve, tergiversate, tergiverse, trick, turn aside, weasel |
Antonyms: |
confront, encounter, face, meet, stand up to |
| Main Entry: | equivocate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | avoid an issue |
Synonyms: |
beat around the bush, beg the question, blow hot and cold, cavil, cloud the issue, con, cop a plea, cop out, cover up, dodge, double-talk, elude, escape, eschew, evade, falsify, fence, fib, flip-flop, fudge, give run around, hedge, hem and haw, jive, lie, mince words, palter, parry, pass the buck, prevaricate, pussyfoot, quibble, run around, shuck, shuffle, sidestep, sit on the fence, stonewall, tell white lie, tergiversate, tergiverse, waffle, weasel |
Antonyms: |
face, meet, speak on |
| Main Entry: | hedge |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | avoid, dodge |
Synonyms: |
be noncommittal, beat around the bush, blow hot and cold, cop a plea, cop out, duck, equivocate, evade, flip-flop, fudge, give the run around, hem and haw, jive, pass the buck, prevaricate, pussyfoot, quibble, run around, shilly-shally, shuck, shuffle, sidestep, sit on the fence, stall, stonewall, temporize, tergiversate, tergiverse, waffle |
Antonyms: |
confront, face, meet |
| Main Entry: | pussyfoot |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | be cautious |
Synonyms: |
avoid, be noncommittal, beat around the bush, creep, dodge, duck the issues, equivocate, evade, glide, hedge, hem and haw, lurk, play it close to the vest, prevaricate, prowl, shuffle, sidestep, sit on the fence, skirt, skulk, slide, slink, slip, sneak, steal, tergiversate, tergiverse, tiptoe, tread warily, watch one's step, weasel |
Antonyms: |
plod |
| Main Entry: | renounce |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | abandon, reject |
Synonyms: |
abdicate, abjure, abnegate, abstain from, apostacize, arrogate, cast off, decline, defect, demit, deny, desert, disavow, discard, disclaim, disown, divorce oneself from, drop out, dump*, eschew, forgo, forsake, forswear, give up, leave flat, leave off, opt out, quit, rat, recant, relinquish, repudiate, resign, sell out, spurn, swear off, take the pledge, tergiversate, tergiverse, throw off, throw over, toss over, turn, waive, walk out on, wash hands of |
| Notes: | renounce often equals abjure but may carry the meaning of disclaim or disown and may imply a sacrifice for a greater end |
Antonyms: |
allow, approve, condone |
| Main Entry: | repudiate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | reject; turn one's back on |
Synonyms: |
abandon, abjure, apostatize, banish, be against, break with, cast, cast off, cut off, decline, default, defect, demur, deny, desert, disacknowledge, disapprove, disavow, discard, disclaim, dishonor, disinherit, dismiss, disown, dump, flush*, fly in the face of, forsake, nix, oust, rat, recant, refuse, renounce, repeal, reprobate, rescind, retract, reverse, revoke, spurn, tergiversate, tergiverse, turn, turn down, wash one's hands of |
Antonyms: |
admit, approve |
| Main Entry: | turn |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | change one's mind; defect |
Synonyms: |
apostatize, bring round, change sides, desert, go over, influence, persuade, prejudice, prevail upon, rat, renege, renounce, repudiate, retract, talk into, tergiversate, tergiverse |